Shield of the Heart
by Anime Dreamer36
Summary: An evilness has escaped. Jurai gleams in his fiendish eyes. Sasami is alone in his clutches. She hears Ryoko clash blades with his. She hears Ayeka call for her. She hears Ryo-ohki meow to comfort her. But she can't be a hero hiding underneath her bed...
1. Shield of the Heart: Chapter 1

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Shield of the Heart 

By Anime Dreamer36   
  


_ Preface: This fic follows the stroyline of the Tenchi Muyo! OVA series, just like Hitoshi Okuda's No Need for Tenchi! manga does. It's like a more intense and thought-provoking "side story." But however you interpret it, I hope you enjoy! ^_^ _

Author's Note: I use a few Japanese words in this fic, so if you don't know what they mean, here's a rundown of the most prominent ones: 

*One-chan = pronounced "oh - nay - chahn." The literal meaning is "older sister," but it can also be used as a term of affection for an older female. Even though Ryoko, Washu, and Mihoshi aren't really Sasami's older sisters, she calls them "one-chan" purely out of affection. However, Ayeka is Sasami's real older sister and also a member of royalty, so Sasami calls her by the more respectful "one-sama." 

*Oni-chan = the same as "one-chan," except for a male. Sasami calls Tenchi "Tenchi-nichan." 

*Ohime-chan = "hime" means "princess." Xuno calls Sasami "ohime-chan" to emphasize that she's a "little, young" princess. It's out of a sort of phony affection. 

*Yami no Umi = Ocean of Darkness 

*Akumu = Nightmare   
  
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Shield of the Heart 

Chapter 1 

The dark and vast reaches of outer space appear to be infinite. Beyond each clump of stars, each orbit of a planet, each flash of a comet, the universe continues to reveal wonders and dangers incomprehensible to even its most advanced denizens. But there was one area of the star-covered darkness, only a few light-years away from the mystically enhanced planet of Jurai, that seemed devoid of all natural activity. Not even the smallest stray fragment of an asteroid drifted into this bleak, silent area of dead space. The Juraians called it "Yami no Umi," and though it was bereft of all organic substance, there was one inorganic object that slowly floated in the vicinity of Yami no Umi, but never strayed beyond its barriers. The object was a sphere-shaped capsule the color of the molten ash of Mars, large enough to hold a person, but if one where to look inside the thin visor at the head of the capsule, only darkness would be seen. It was inside this solitary capsule, drifting in one of the most loneliest and dreariest parts of the universe, that a single man gazed out of the visor with such a look of deep-borne hatred in his eyes, that the capsule seemed to slightly tremble under his anger. 

"It's almost time...almost time," he repeated to himself under his breath, "just a little more..." He cupped his hands together and focused his mental power, which summoned a small ball of photon energy into his palms. The energy gave a temporary illumination to the pitch-black interior of the capsule, and an extremely large crack on its right wall became visible. He threw the photon ball at the crack, which made a loud static sound that echoed throughout the empty capsule. The man peered anxiously at the crack and noticed that it had grown slightly larger. 

"I can't believe it! Just a few more times...and I'll be free!" He spoke louder now, as he threw more photon balls at the crack. After the fifth one, the crack became large enough for him to fit through. With a look of wicked triumph on his face, he pulled himself through the crack. 

For a moment he stopped and stared at Jurai, which stood before him like a great, glittering judge, and scoffed. 

"Thought you could hold me for all eternity, eh?" he muttered, sneering. "Well, have I got quite a shock for you!" And with that, he flew past the northern border of Yami no Umi, his cruel laughter diffusing throughout the darkness around him making even the radiant stars in it shiver. 

* * *

In a more lively part of the universe, the planet called Earth continued to nurture the most abundant array of life in the solar system. Its seven continents stood out against its enormous blue oceans, and even Japan, though a small island, was just as busy with its rountine and daily activites as entire continents were. But there was one area of Japan, deep within the mountains and woods of Okayama, amidst a large two-story house with a neighboring shrine, where daily activities weren't quite as routine as its inhabitants would like them to be. 

It was late morning and the sun shone brightly, causing the last few dew drops on the trees and bushes around the Masaki house to dissolve. Within the large living room, Tenchi was down on his knees scrubbing the long dinner table with a damp rag. He straightened up for a moment and pushed his short, dark hair off of his forehead. He dunked the rag into the water-filled bucket beside him, wrung out the excess water, and proceeded to scrub underneath the table. Ryo-ohki sat near him, playfully batting at the dust particles that trickled down from the sun beams in the glass doors. After scrubbing under the table, Tenchi picked up the rag and bucket and got to his feet. He started walking towards the kitchen when he heard a familiar voice behind him. 

"Tenchi-sama, aren't you going to work at the shrine today?" 

Ayeka was coming down the stairs. She was dressed in her light blue kimono and her long, violet hair flowed neatly behind her. 

"Oh, hi Ayeka-san," Tenchi replied, turning around, "I was going to work at the shrine today, but then I figured that the house hasn't had a good cleaning for a long time." He held up the rag and bucket. "Everybody's pitching in to clean different parts of the house. Now that I'm done with the living room, I'm gonna start to work on the bathroom." 

"Which rooms should I clean, Tenchi-sama?" Ayeka asked enthusiastically, striding down the rest of the stairs and stopping in front of him. "I'll clean any room you want me to. If you don't want to clean the bathroom, I'll do it!" 

"Oh, that's all right," Tenchi said, slightly sweatdropping, "most of the rooms are taken care of already. Why don't you hang the laundry out to dry?" He pointed towards two baskets of clothes by the glass doors. 

"All right, I'll do that!" Ayeka smiled at him and picked up one of the baskets. 

"Happy to be working are we? You're always complaining about it whenever Tenchi's not around." 

Tenchi and Ayeka turned towards the voice. Ryoko was sitting on the wooden rafters above them, sneering at Ayeka. Ayeka tried to reply calmly, determined not to show any indignity, but there was a hint of agitation in her voice, as always when she was arguing with Ryoko. 

"Even if I complain about the work, at least I do it. You complain all the time and you never lift a finger for the betterment of the household." 

"What do you mean?" Ryoko demanded, jumping down from the rafters and landing face-to-face with Ayeka, her golden eyes blazing with rage. "Just yesterday there was a carrot peel on the counter that Sasami must've missed when cleaning up, and I was the one who went out of my way to throw it in the trash can!" 

"Oh please! Why weren't you the one cleaning up after dinner in the first place?! You never do anything like that!" 

"Oh, like you do?!" They were both yelling now. 

"C'mon you two," Tenchi said, waving his hands at them, trying to get them to break the death-glare they had on each other. Finally, they reluctantly turned away and looked at him. 

"Ryoko, aren't you supposed to be cleaning the front porch now?" Tenchi asked, talking fast so as not to let the fight start up again. 

"I'll do it later. It's too hot outside now," Ryoko replied, flying back up to the rafters. Tenchi sighed and started to head towards the kitchen again, but he stopped when he heard Ayeka call after him. 

"Tenchi-sama, even though it's a hot day, I'll do the laundry just like you asked me to." She spoke loud to make sure that Ryoko could hear her. "And Sasami is going to make her special carrot cake for everyone who's been working hard." 

At the mention of Sasami's carrot cake, Ryoko zoomed down from the rafters and through the glass doors, picking up a dust pan and a broom that were sitting on the steps outside. Before Tenchi could notice where she had gone so quickly, he heard her hollering to him from outside. 

"Tenchi, I'm gonna clean the porch real good, don't you worry!" She was vigorously sweeping the broom along the porch, grinning at him. Tenchi sweatdropped. 

"That's great Ryoko, thanks," he said nervously, seeing that Ayeka's face had gone quite a fiery shade of red. 

"Hey, Ayeka," Ryoko shouted from outside, "why're you just standing there? Don't you want to get that laundry hung up and have some carrot cake? Or is it too hot outside for the delicate skin of a princess? Afraid you'll get wrinkles?" 

"I'm coming now!" Ayeka growled through clenched teeth, nearly crushing Ryo-ohki as she stomped angrily out the glass doors with the laundry basket. 

Tenchi walked into the kitchen shaking his head. 

"Those two..." he mumbled to himself. After dumping the water from the bucket down the sink and hanging the rag up to dry, he noticed that the kitchen was completely spotless. The sink and counter where almost shimmering and there wasn't a crumb of food to be found on the floor or the table. 

"Oh, there you are Tenchi-nichan!" 

Tenchi turned around and saw Sasami come into the kitchen beaming at him. She was wearing her favorite apron with the large carrot on the front of it, her blue pigtails bouncing as she walked. Ryo-ohki was comfortably perched on her head. "I cleaned the kitchen as best as I could just like you told me to! You like it?" 

"You did a great job, Sasami-chan. It looks wonderful!" Tenchi smiled down at her and she blushed shyly. 

"Well, since I'm done with all my chores now, can Ryo-chan and I go for a walk?" she asked, looking up at him pleadingly. Ryo-ohki meowed in agreement. 

"Well, it's fine with me, but do you think you should go by yourself?" Tenchi asked, pulling the toilet scrubber out from the cupboard underneath the sink. 

"I'll go with you, Sasami-chan." 

Washu was standing by the counter, holding what looked to be a large vacuum cleaner with three hoses protruding from it instead of one. "It was a sinch cleaning the yard and the hallway with Washu-chan's Tri-Vacuum 21!" she exclaimed, her emerald eyes shining gleefully as she fondled her invention. "Why don't you use it to clean the bathroom, Tenchi-dono? You'll get done in a sec!" She tossed the vacuum to Tenchi and he barely managed to catch it while holding the toilet scrubber. 

"Uh, that's okay Washu-chan. I've got it under control," he said laughing nervously as he put the Tri-Vacuum 21 down next to the table. "Maybe someone else'll want to use it." 

Washu folded her arms. "Fine, suit yourself," she said and turned to Sasami. "Anyway, I'll come with you on your walk, Sasami-chan. I've been cooped up in my lab for quite a few days doing research. I could use some fresh air." 

"All right!" Sasami shouted happily. Ryo-ohki meowed cheerfully with her. "I saw Ryoko-onechan and Ayeka-onesama doing their chores, but where's Mihoshi-onechan? Is she done with her chores, too? Does she want to come with us?" 

Washu sighed. "She told me she's done with them but I'm afraid she's taking a nap on the couch, and you know as well as I do that nothing short of a radioactive nuclear blaster going off in the living room could wake her up." 

Sasami giggled. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She turned back to Tenchi. "Well, we're going now, Tenchi-nichan. We'll be back before dinner time, and I'll make my delicious carrot cake for everyone!" 

"Sounds great, Sasami-chan," Tenchi replied. "Have fun!" 

Sasami and Washu left through the glass doors with Ryo-ohki hopping around excitedly at their feet. Out on the front porch, Ryoko was growing bored of sweeping. Since Tenchi wasn't around anymore, her strokes with the broom were getting slower and slower. Ayeka was hanging up the last bit of clothes from the first basket on the clothesline, glancing every now and then over to the glass doors to see if Tenchi passed by so that she could tell him how well she was getting along. Sasami waved at them while she, Washu, and Ryo-ohki passed by. 

"Ryoko-onechan! Ayeka-onesama! You're both doing a great job!" 

"Merroww!" Ryo-ohki meowed encouragingly. 

Washu smiled slyly at them. "Keep up the good work you two. You know Tenchi-dono will be pleased." 

"Where are you guys going?" Ryoko asked, cupping her hands over the top of the broom and resting her chin on them. 

"We're done with our chores, so we're going for a walk," Sasami said. "When I get back, I'll start making the carrot cake like I promised! Well, see you later!" 

Ryoko watched them leave until they disappeared into the woods. A sinister smile suddenly spread across her face. "You know," she said cooly, turning to Ayeka, "those woods don't look very safe. Maybe I'd better go with them for protection." She dropped the broom and started to fly away. 

"Get back to work," Ayeka said sternly, without turning away from the clothesline. 

"Party pooper," Ryoko grumbled, picking up the broom and resuming her apathetic sweeping. 

* * *

The woods around the Masaki house where always quite tranquil, but if observed closely, excitement could be found on every branch of a tree and petal of a flower, and even under rocks and along blades of grass. As Sasami, Washu, and Ryo-ohki walked through the isles of tall, shady trees, bright blooming flowers, and lazy thickets, birds chirped as they soared overhead and frisky squirrels chased each other along the high branches. 

"It's so pretty out here," Sasami gushed as she gazed up at the rays of sunlight that poured down between the mesh of tree leaves. "I think Earth is just as beautiful as Jurai." 

"You're right, Sasami-chan," Washu replied, examining a patch of thick yellow flowers that were blooming beside an enormous pine tree. "Not only are both planets teeming with life, but I've noticed that the structure of the flowers, trees, and even some animals of Earth are almost identical to those of Jurai." 

Sasami smiled. "I don't miss Jurai at all when I'm on Earth." She suddenly heard a chattering sound behind her and turned around. "Oh look, Ryo-chan's made a friend!" 

Ryo-ohki was nose-to-nose with a squirrel. They were both sniffing fervently at each other. The squirrel flicked its bushy tail and rested its weight on its haunches. Ryo-ohki mimicked it, leaning down on her long back legs and wriggling her stubby cotton-ball tail. At first, it looked as though the squirrel was about to crawl closer to Ryo-ohki, but it suddenly jerked its body up as tall as it could go, percked its ears, and dashed up the nearest tree. Ryo-ohki gave a quizzical "Merow?" 

"Something must've startled it," Washu said, as she and Sasami watched the jittery squirrel scoot up to the highest branches. 

"But why did it look scared?" Sasami asked. 

Before Washu could answer, Ryo-ohki suddenly gave a loud "Meowrr!" She crouched down bearing her teeth, her short, brown fur tingling with agitation. 

"What's wrong, Ryo-chan?" Sasami asked, looking down at the alarmed cabbit. Ryo-ohki looked up for a moment, then bolted off towards a clearing at the edge of a row of trees. 

"She must sense something," Washu said, staring in the direction that Ryo-ohki had run. "And it she's acting like this, it must be something dangerous." 

They both took off down the path. After stopping at the edge of the clearing, they saw Ryo-ohki looking up towards the sky, meowing franticly. 

"What's that?" Sasami asked, pointing to a sphere of black light that was quickly descending from the cloudless sky. Its descent slowed as it got closer to the ground. When it was about two feet above the ground, it began to jiggle and writhe, changing its shape until the silhouette of a tall, muscular man loomed before them. The blackness began to fade, and the stark and ominous features of the man where revealed. 

He had striking silver hair, tightly tied in a low ponytail behind his head. There was a deep scar along his left temple that ran down to a gold glass eye which glared in the bright sunlight. He had a sleek, viridian cape that flowed dramatically out behind him, and shimmering gray armor plating on his shoulders, elbows, and knees. His hand moved confidently down to the dark brown sword sheath on his side, and he gazed smugly around him. When his eyes fell on Sasami, Washu, and Ryo-ohki, a cold sneer curled his lips. 

Ryo-ohki stopped meowing, but she continued to cringe low and bare her teeth. Washu placed herself in front of Sasami and eyed the stranger before them suspiciously. 

"Who are you?" she asked. 

The man smirked. "Glad someone finally asked. I've been waiting centuries to announce my return." He took a few steps towards them. Washu moved back, ushering Sasami behind her. Ryo-ohki continued to hiss. 

"I'm sure you've probably heard of me," he said calmy, stopping about ten feet away from them. "My name is Xuno." 

Sasami stifled a gasp of surprise. Washu looked shocked too, but she spoke calmly. "You're Xuno, the warrior from Jurai..." 

"...the one who was exiled to Yami no Umi for obtaining more power than was allowed on the planet..." Sasami finished, her voice shaking. Xuno threw back his head and cackled. Some birds in a nearby tree took to the air in a panicked rustle. 

"Yes!" he exclaimed, his one normal eye widening with excitement. "Those fools at the head of the Jurai Royal Family just couldn't comprehend the potential of the power I'd gained. I had spent centuries traveling to different galaxies, picking up new powers and learning of extraordinary kinds of weapons. But all for nothing! When I told the king of Jurai about the power and knowledge I had gained, he said that if Jurai where to have that kind of power, the planets that were allied with it would begin to fear it, and chaos would definitely ensue. I told him that with that kind of power, Jurai could just conquer and rule any planet it wanted to! But that fool of a king turned me down and said that if Jurai were to become a planet that does nothing but conquer, its inhabitants would eventually grow hungry for more and more power, and that would lead to the overthrow of the Jurai Royal Family! What a preposterous reason!" He shook his head in disgust. Then slowly, a villainous smile began to creep along his mouth as he continued. 

"When I refused to give up all the power that I had, they managed to overwhelm me and lock me in a capsule, drifting in that horrendous Yami no Umi. When confined in that capsule, my powers were terribly weakened, but not completely gone. All I could do was shoot off a weak amount of photon energy from my hands. But..." 

A look of crazed triumph suddenly shone on his face. 

"For eight-hundred years I worked on cracking that capsule using what little power I had. There was a strong, dark miasma in the capsule that was supposed to keep we in a dormant state. But I awoke every now and then for a few moments, and used that time to launch a small amount of photon energy at the side of the capsule. Of course, it barely left a dent the first few times. But very slowly, after repeating this same process for eight centuries, I finally made a crack in the capsule large enough for me to fit through. Nobody ever came over to check on me, so I slipped out of Yami no Umi unseen. The minute I left the walls of that accursed capsule, my powers returned to me." 

There was a long pause after Xuno had finished speaking. Ryo-ohki ceased her hissing, but she continued to glare up at Xuno. Sasami, who had been standing warily behind Washu, took a small step forward. Washu continued to eye Xuno cautiously as she broke the silence. 

"So, what are you going to do now? Why did you come to Earth?" 

Xuno narrowed his eyes. "What am I going to do?! Avenge myself against the planet that turned away from its chance to gain more power than ever before! And what better way to avenge myself against Jurai than to rule it myself! Then, I'll continue to conquer other planets with my power, the way it should've been! And I've devised a cunning plan to get the king of Jurai to hand over the rule of his planet to me, without a harrowing fight..." 

Xuno looked down at Sasami like a hungry predator spotting its prey, and he smiled contently. 

"It didn't take me long to find out that the two princesses of Jurai where staying on planet Earth. Those filthy Juraians are always full of gossip! So I figured that offering the safetly of his beloved daughters in exchange for the rule of Jurai would make the king practically grovel at my feet! And, with the princesses being on some unprotected, far away planet, how easy it'll be to kidnap them here instead of on Jurai! I couldn't ask for a better opportunity!" 

A strange, dark aura began to surround Xuno, and it seemed to give him the ability to move freely in the air. He began to float menacingly towards Sasami and Washu. 

"I heard that the older princess, Ayeka, has developed her Juraian powers a whole lot. But the little princess, Sasami, is quite defenseless. Why knock myself out capturing both princesses, when I can capture one that won't even put up a fight?" He continued to fly closer to them. Washu leaned down towards Sasami. 

"Listen, Sasami-chan," she whispered, still keeping her eyes on Xuno, "you've got to get back to the house and tell everyone what's happening. I'll distract him. Now get going." 

"But, Washu-onechan..." Sasami protested. Xuno was directly above them now. A blade of dark energy began to form from his sword sheath. He grasped the blade. 

"Sasami-chan, now!" Washu exclaimed, giving Sasami a slight push. 

"Ok," Sasami said, trying not to sound afraid. "Let's go, Ryo-chan!" 

"Merow!" Ryo-ohki agreed. They both broke into a sprint down the path towards the house, without looking back. 

"You think you can get away from me?!" Xuno shouted. He pulled the dark energy blade from its sheath. It was nearly five feet long and pitch black in color. A mysterious gray mist engulfed the edges of it, as if it were clouded my its own immense evil power. He flew off after Sasami, but was cut short by the stinging particles of a force field that suddenly appeared before him. 

"I can't let you capture Sasami-chan so easily. Where's the fun in that?" 

Washu had cast a force field around herself, its crackling rays flooded out all around her. She stood right in front of Xuno, blocking his path. Xuno leered down at her. Then, he slowly began to smile shrewdly. 

"Oh, and who might you be?" he asked, raising his dark blade so that it was level with his chest. Washu looked up at him. 

"Perhaps you've heard of me, too: Washu-chan, the greatest scientific genius in the universe!" 

Xuno thought for a moment. "Nope, don't think I've heard of you," he said curtly. Washu sweatdropped. 

"Fine then," she said, the force field around her glowing with tremendous force, "now, you do know about me. And you're not allowed to go after Sasami-chan unless you can get passed me." 

Xuno snickered. "Fine, I'll play with you for a while. You can be my warm-up after eight-hundred years of not using my deadly dark blade. Let's see if my powers can beat the tricks of a scientific genius!" He poised with his blade in hand, eyeing the force field without a hint of worry in his face. Washu stretched out her arms, and the force field grew slightly wider. 

"Well, fighting's not really one of my strong points," she said. "I'm the brains, not the brawn, you know?" But she looked straight up at him and smiled confindently. "But...I can't just stand here and do nothing if you're going to attack me, huh?" 

Xuno gave a malicious chuckle. "Fine then. Let's get this over with!" He charged full speed towards her, the dark blade pointing out in front of him, the chilling gray mist around it swaying out under the pressure. The blade struck the force field with a deafening impact, causing a large cloud of dust to roll by. The area of the force field in which the core of the attack had struck, shattered, leaving a dent in its center. Washu had to hold down with all her might in order to keep the dent from splitting the entire force field. 

"Damn, he strong," she muttered as some of the force field's photon rays snapped off from the intensity of the blow. "I've never seen such power in a single blade!" 

Xuno laughed and readied the dark blade in front of him again. "Pretty impressive, huh? Gaze upon this blade well because this is going to be the dark power that will soon rule Jurai!" And with that, he charged once again towards the damaged force field, his eyes glinting with fiendish victory. 


	2. Shield of the Heart: Chapter 2

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Shield of the Heart 

Chapter 2 

Sasami was running breathlessly through the woods with Ryo-ohki bounding after her. 

"Ryoko-onechan! Ayeka-onesama!" she cried as she emerged from the woods and continued to run towards the house. 

The clothes were hanging in neat rows on the clothesline, swaying in the gentle breeze, but Ayeka wasn't there. Ryoko was laying on the steps with the broom tucked under her arm. As Sasami got closer, she could see that Ryoko was sleeping. 

"...mmmm...Tenchi, that's too rough..." she mumbled blissfully, pulling the broom closer to her. Ryo-ohki leaped forward and landed on her face, meowing feverishly. 

"...wha...Ryo-ohki? What's the matter?" Ryoko asked, sitting up and putting the broom down next to her. Sasami stopped in front of Ryoko, gasping franticly. 

"Ryoko-onechan...we've got...big trouble!" she said between breathes. 

"What's wrong, Sasami-chan?" 

Sasami looked up and saw Tenchi and Ayeka standing behind the glass doors. Tenchi pulled them open and stepped outside. "Is something the matter? Where's Washu-chan?" 

Mihoshi came walking slowly towards them from the couch. Her blonde hair was a bit matted and she stopped behind Ayeka, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "What's everybody doing here? Is it time for the carrot cake already?" she asked sleepily. 

"Listen, everyone! This is really bad!" Sasami shouted. She was getting a bit hysterical now, and Tenchi had to gently place his hands on her shoulders before she finally calmed down. 

"It's all right, Sasami-chan," he said kindly. "Just calm down and tell us what's happening." 

Sasami hesitated for a moment, while everyone looked at her expectantly. Then, she quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve and told them about Xuno's return. 

* * *

Back in the woods, the ground was trembling and the dust was swirling as the brazen clashing of a blade reverberated against the hefty trees. In the center of the clearing, Xuno hovered, beaming with satisfaction, proudly holding the dark blade beside him. At the edge of the clearing, Washu stood, the last few photon rays of her force field flickering weakly around her. 

"Your force field is strong, I'll give you that," Xuno said, slowly inching towards her. "But there's nothing in this universe that can hold out against my dark blade!" 

Washu looked up at him. Her face was covered in sweat and bruises, and her spikey pink hair was singed at the tips. There were numerous tears on the sleeves of her vest, and her hands shook as she raised them to hold up the renmants of the force field. 

"So, what are you going to do after you've taken over Jurai and the universe, huh? What's it all for? You're gonna get pretty bored if all you like to do is conquer..." she said, looking straight at him. But he just shrugged. 

"Once I have control over everything in the universe, I don't need anything else!" he roared, raising his dark blade before him. 

* * *

"That awful criminal Xuno is free...and he wants to use Sasami as a randsom to get control of Jurai?! I can't believe it!" Ayeka said in disbelief as she, Tenchi, Sasami, and Mihoshi ran down the path through the woods towards the clearing at the end. Ryoko soared above them with Ryo-ohki clinging to her shoulder. 

"Xuno escaped! I have to tell the Galaxy Police right away!" Mihoshi announced as she began to fidget with the remote watch on her wrist. 

The group paused when they got to the edge of the clearing. Xuno looked down at them and noticed Sasami hiding behind Ayeka. 

"I knew you'd be back with reinforcements, ohime-chan," he said, grinning malevolently. 

"You bastard!" Ryoko shouted, conjuring up a large sphere of photon energy in her hands and chucking it at Xuno. Xuno nonchalantly raised the blade in front of him. The energy hit, and immediately disintegrated against an invisible barrier around it. 

"You're pretty strong..." Xuno said, eyeing Ryoko with slight caution. "But your attacks are useless against me!" He tightly griped both ends of the dark blade and held it horizontally in front of him. Five large beams of dark energy shot off from it and hit the ground directly at the edge of the clearing. Tenchi and the others shielded their eyes from the blinding dust that arose. Sasami squinted through the dust and noticed Washu on the other edge of the clearing. She was down on her hands and knees, gasping tiredly, the last few particles of her destroyed force field popping out around her. 

"Washu-onechan!" Sasami cried, tearing away from behind Ayeka and rushing off towards Washu. 

"Sasami, don't go out there!" Ayeka shouted, trying to spot her sister through the thick dust. 

Sasami stopped at Washu's side and slowly knelt down next to her. 

"Washu-onechan? Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. 

Washu flinched as she shakily got to her feet. "Sasami-chan...don't stay out in the open...get back..." 

Sasami backed away nervously. Suddenly, she heard Tenchi shout to her. 

"Sasami-chan! Look out! Come over here!" 

Sasami looked up. Ryoko was continuously shooting bursts of energy at Xuno, but he kept blocking them with his blade. He held it securely in front of him, and the five dark beams shot out from it once again. The first beam struck the ground barely three feet away from Sasami. The second, barely a foot and a half. The third headed right towards her. 

"Sasami!" yelled Ayeka. 

Sasami screamed and shielded her face with her arms. She heard a loud thump in front of her, but to her surprise, no blow came. She peeked out over her sleeve. Washu was couching down in front of her, clutching her left shoulder, which was bleeding badly. 

"Washu-onechan..." Sasami wailed, but was too terrified to move. 

"Washu-chan!" Tenchi shouted. He and the others streaked across the clearing towards the other side. Xuno ceased his attack and gazed down at them uncertainly. Washu tried to get up but she started to stumble. Ayeka and Mihoshi came up behind her and gently held her up. Sasami stared at them bewilderedly, tears forming in her deep-peach eyes. 

"Washu-onechan...you protected me..." she said quietly. Washu tried to smile at her, but she winced at the pain in her shoulder. 

"Oh, Washu-sama, you didn't have to do that," Ayeka said sorrowfully, trying not to let her voice tremble. "I should've done it...I'm Sasami's sister." She looked away shamefully. Ryo-ohki gave a distressful "Mrow." 

"We're all like family to Sasami-chan...we all would've done the same thing..." Washu said. She tried to pull herself up but she faltered and Tenchi caught her before she fell. 

"Washu-chan, try not to move..." he said. 

Washu turned to Sasami and gave her a tired wink. "I just happened to be the one that was closest to her at the time, that's all." 

Ryoko teleported down beside Tenchi. She looked down at Washu and sighed sadly. "Damn, he nailed her badly..." she said. 

Washu made another attept to pull herself up, but the throbbing in her shoulder became unbearable. "...to think...a genius like me...could do something...so rash..." her voice trailed off, and Tenchi held her up carefully as she slipped into unconciousness. Before anyone could say anything more, Xuno suddenly teleported directly above them. 

"I'd better be more careful where I aim," he said, a tone of twisted sarcasim in his voice. "I almost hit the precious little ohime-chan..." He gave Sasami a crooked smile. Then, he scoffed. 

"Unbelievable!" he declared scornfully. "The greatest scientific genius in the universe would sacrifice herself to protect someone else?! Such selflessness is the pinnacle of foolishness!" Ryo-ohki arched her back and hissed. Ryoko looked up and glared daggers at him. 

"Shut up!" she roared, shooting another photon blast at him. It hit the barrier around him again, and the particles bounced harmlessly away. Xuno laughed. 

"Well, I seem to have worn out my welcome now. You've got me completely outnumbered." He held out the palm of his hand and an orb of green light began to flicker in it. He swiftly tossed the orb at Sasami. The minute it touched her, its sides quicky spread out and formed a large circular, translucent barrier that engulfed her. It carried her back up to Xuno's side. 

"Sasami!" Ayeka cried, running after the spherical barrier. She stopped short, and spread out her arms. The minute she did, the small cylinders of wood from the sentient trees of Jurai gathered around Xuno. They generated an eletrical attack that struck him, but he seemed undisturbed by it. 

"You think the pathetic power of the Jurai Royal Family can hurt me?!" he demanded. He swung the dark blade with massive force. The inertia of the swing knocked Ayeka off the ground, and she landed several feet away. 

"One-sama!" Sasami cried, her voice muffled from inside the floating barrier. 

Ayeka sat up, rubbing her sore leg. Ryoko flew down and helped pull her to her feet. 

"Ayeka, you idiot, that won't work on him!" she chided. Ayeka stood up, but she quickly sunk back down, clutching her leg in pain. 

"Oww...I think I sprained something..." she groaned. Ryoko held her up, but she began to move away when she saw Xuno advancing on them. 

"Ryoko! Ayeka-san!" Tenchi shouted. He shoved Washu into Mihoshi's arms and ran off towards Ryoko and Ayeka, pulling his sword out from his robes. He held it out in front of him and the shining blue blade of light extended from its top. He leaped forward, raising the sword high above his head, and brought it down hard on the dark protective barrier around Xuno. After a few seconds of clashing, the barrier repelled the attack and Tenchi was thrown off. He landed hard on his side, his sword clattering down next to him. 

"Tenchi!" Ryoko cried. She let go of Ayeka(who promptly fell down without the support) and teleported over to Tenchi. 

"I'm all right," Tenchi said, hurriedly getting to his feet and grabbing up his sword. 

"Tenchi-nichan..." Sasami moaned. Then she gasped as the green barrier around her began to ascend, carrying her higher into the sky. Xuno was moving up along with it. 

"Well its been great sparring with all of you," he taunted, "but I've got bigger fish to fry." He rose up quickly now, with the circle-shaped barrier containing Sasami following along. 

"You won't get away!" Ryoko fumed, flying after him. But before she could strike, both Xuno and Sasami had disappeard in a flash of dark, foreboding light. 

* * *

The normally cheery and homely atmosphere of the Masaki house had vanished. After the group had clambered back inside the living room to take care of their wounds and figure out a rescue plan, an air of uneasiness seemed to linger in Sasami's absence. 

"Ow! That's too tight, Ryoko-san!" Ayeka yelled. 

"If you'd stop squirming it wouldn't hurt!" Ryoko shot back. 

"You're just incompetent at things like this!" Ayeka retorted. 

Ryoko had been trying to bandage up Ayeka's leg for the past ten minutes, but their constant bickering prevented her from making much progress. Ryo-ohki was sitting on the table amidst the first-aid kit and the bottles of iodine and rubbing alcohol, staring sadly out the glass doors. Tenchi and Mihoshi were crouching over Washu, who was laying on the couch. Tenchi was trying his best to patch up her shoulder with bandages and gauze pads, but he kept turning around every few minutes at the sound of Ryoko and Ayeka snapping at each other. Finally, he told them to cut it out. 

"Don't you think we have enough troubles without fighting amongst ourselves?" he asked irritably. Ryoko and Ayeka stopped fighting and looked down guiltily. 

"Is Washu-sama all right?" Ayeka asked, still staring at the floor. 

"Her wound is pretty bad, but I think she'll be all right. The bleeding's finally stopped." Tenchi replied. After a few moments, he stood up and closed the first-aid kit. Ryoko and Ayeka looked up at him expectantly. 

"So, what do we do now?" Ryoko asked. 

"What do we do?!" Ayeka shouted. "We find that madman and rescue Sasami, that's what! He's probably heading to Jurai right now!" 

"I know that," Ryoko said, glancing around the room. "But who's going to go? Washu can't, and with your leg like that Ayeka, you're pretty much useless..." 

Ayeka scowled discreetly. Mihoshi took a step forward. 

"I can go! Let me help rescue Sasami-chan," she pleaded. "She must be so scared!" But Ryoko shook her head. 

"Sorry, Mihoshi," she said, "but unless you've got a whole fleet of Galaxy Police ships backing you up, that little laser gun of yours couldn't even scratch someone like Xuno." 

"Oh..." Mihoshi said sadly. Ryoko turned to Tenchi. 

"I guess it's just you and me, Tenchi," she said. 

"Guess so..." Tenchi replied. He started walking towards her, but he stopped suddenly, clutching his right arm, his face twisted in pain. 

"Tenchi-sama, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Ayeka asked franticaly. She desperatley pulled herself up from the chair she was sitting in, supporting her weight by leaning on its side. Tenchi loosed his grip on his arm for a second, and a trickle of blood began to flow down. 

"Tenchi, what happened to you?" Ryoko asked, grabbing some stray bandages that were skewered on the table and wrapping them around his arm. 

"It must've been when Xuno's barrier knocked me down...I'm sorry I didn't say anything about it..." Tenchi said, looking down ashamedly. "I knew you guys wouldn't want me to go if you knew I was hurt, but I didn't want to sit here and do nothing when Sasami-chan is in danger." 

"Oh, you're such a sweetheart, Tenchi!" Ryoko squealed, giving him a playful noogie on the head. Then she turned serious. "But there's no way you can take a chance swinging a sword at that jerk with your arm like that. Guess it's all up to me." She started to fly towards the glass doors. Ryo-ohki meowed determindly and hopped after her. 

"But, Ryoko," Tenchi called after her, "you're going to fight him all by yourself? Your attacks didn't do anything against him before..." 

Ryoko turned around and gave him a devilish smile. 

"That was before I knew he had hurt my Tenchi! Now I've really gotta let him have it! And besides..." She looked around the room. "I can't let all the trouble he's caused everyone go unpunished. And if Sasami's not around, how are we ever gonna get our well-deserved carrot cake?" She gave Ayeka and Mihoshi a reassuring wink. They looked up at her and smiled weakly. 

"Well, let's go Ryo-ohki," Ryoko said, flying out the glass doors and onto the porch with Ryo-ohki behind her. When they were outside, she picked up the little cabbit and tossed her high into the sky. While suspended in the air, Ryo-ohki gave a strong "Mrrroww!" and her atoms quickly transfigured and spread until she was now in the form of a saucer-shaped spaceship that had four black spires jutting out from the sides of its circular central control unit. Ryoko teleported up to the control unit and placed her hands firmly on the navigating gears. 

"Ok, Ryo-ohki, start heading to Jurai as quickly as you can. We'll be sure to catch up to that bastard along the way!" 

Ryo-ohki's sharp "Merow!" resonated throughout the spaceship as it lifted higher and higher into the now paling blue sky. Tenchi watched through the glass doors as the spaceship soared away and out of sight. 

"Be careful, Ryoko." 

* * *

Sasami stared despairingly out the translucent green barrier that surrounded her. The barrier was hovering some twenty feet off the ground at the far end of Xuno's salvaged single-unit spaceship, Akumu. Xuno stood at the other end, gazing through the enormous window that encompassed the right wall of the ship. After a few moments, he turned and started to pace around the ship until he stopped in front of the floating barrier. He glanced up and met eyes with Sasami. She quickly looked away. 

"Aren't you excited to be heading home to Jurai, ohime-chan?" he asked slyly. "Lucky for us I was able to find what remained of my old spaceship and put it back together. Even if its functions are kind of archaic, it's fairly fast. Now we should be nearing Jurai very soon." 

Sasami continued to keep her head turned and not respond. Xuno smirked and went back to looking out the window. His eyes shimmered with imminent glee as he watched the passing stars and planets. 

"Soon, I'll rule all of this..." he murmured to himself. Sasami sat with her face buried in her knees, trying to hold back the sobs that were rising in her chest. Suddenly, the faint sound of a spaceship's thrust reached her ears. She looked up and out the window. Sure enough, a small dark spaceship was edging closer, barely visible against the blackness of the space around it. Xuno had noticed it too, and he looked thwarted for a moment. But he quickly regained his composure. 

"Looks like someone's come to rescue you, ohime-chan. I figured it would've happened sooner or later," he said, his hand poised tentatively above his sword sheath. 

Sasami watched as the spaceship came closer and closer. Finally, the gleaming central control unit and familiar "Merow!" sparked her hopefulness. 

"Ryo-chan..." she said, smiling for the first time since she had left Earth. Xuno glared as Ryo-ohki stopped directly in front of the large window. Ryoko came streaking out of the control unit and through the giant window towards Sasami, her photon sword in hand. 

"Ryoko-onechan!" Sasami cried joyfully, standing up and pressing her hands against the inside of the barrier. Ryoko gave her a brash smile and brought her sword down hard on the top of the barrier. Numerous cracks spread out along its sides until its entire top half broke off. Ryoko quickly lifted Sasami out of the broken barrier and carried her back towards Ryo-ohki. She stopped suddenly as Xuno teleported right before her, his loathsome dark blade clutched firmly in his hands. 

"Take the little ohime-chan back to Earth, and I'll just go capture her again," he said. "She won't truely be freed until you kill me." 

"Is that so?" Ryoko said smugly. She descended down to the floor and placed Sasami next to her. She held out her bright, vermillion photon sword in front of her. "...then that makes it simpler!" 

"Fine, I have time for a good fight before this ship reaches Jurai," Xuno proclaimed, moving closer to her. Ryoko looked up to Ryo-ohki, who was hovering patiently by the window. 

"Ryo-ohki, come in here!" she called. The spaceship began to writhe and shrink until it had materialized back into the form of a cabbit. Ryo-ohki drifted through the window and landed right in Sasami's arms. 

"Ryo-chan!" Sasami exclaimed happily, hugging Ryo-ohki close to her. 

Ryoko slowly began to ascend in the air until she was level with Xuno. He smiled contently, the blazing dark blade in his hands shimmering with evilness. Ryoko quickly turned to Ryo-ohki, who was sitting alertly in Sasami's arms. 

"Ryo-ohki, keep an eye on Sasami while I get this guy out of our way for good!" she said. "Sasami, you'd better take cover." 

Ryo-ohki jumped down from Sasami's arms and lead her over behind a pile of disengaged spaceship parts in the corner of the ship. Sasami crouched down behind the pile. She looked up worriedly at Ryoko. 

"Ryoko-onechan, be careful," she said. 

"Always, Sasami," Ryoko replied. Then she turned back to Xuno, who was steadily raising his dark blade. He narrowed his eyes at her. 

"What makes you think you can beat me now when you could barely hit me before?" he demanded. 

"A bastard like you wouldn't understand even if I told you..." Ryoko replied. Then, she pointed her sword out in front of her and began to charge towards him shouting, "...which is why I'm gonna show you!" 

Xuno gave a blasé smile and quickly teleported as Ryoko's sword barely nicked his arm. She turned around and began to scan the ship for any sign of him. 

"Where are you, you coward?!" she demanded. 

"Ryoko-onechan! Behind you!" Sasami shouted. Ryoko looked behind her and saw that Xuno was coming speedily towards her, his dark blade held straight before him. Ryoko quickly spun around and blocked it with her sword. The tumultuous clashing of the two powerful weapons made the small spaceship shake. 

"Your attacks are useless!" Xuno hollered over the deafening clanging. "Can't you understand that?!" He raised the blade high above his head and brought it down fast in one massive swoop. The extreme pressure that flew out from the swing pushed Ryoko hard against the left wall of the ship. 

"Ryoko-onechan!" Sasami cried. Ryo-ohki meowed alarmingly. Ryoko pulled herself out of the small crater that had formed in the wall, and shakily flew back towards Xuno. He smiled shrewdly. 

"You've got an admirable persistance," he said with false cordiality, "but there's no endurance strong enough to hold out against my power!" And with that, he charged forward like a deranged armored bull, his blade pointing the way, and his eyes shining victoriously. 


	3. Shield of the Heart: Chapter 3

****

Shield of the Heart 

Chapter 3 

The battle inside Akumu raged on for longer than any of its dwellers had imagined. The ship's walls were littered with dents and craters made from slamming bodies or misguided weapon swings. Smoke and debris from the cracked walls added to the choking haze that loitered inside the single-unit ship. In its corner, Sasami and Ryo-ohki cringed behind the now greatly broken up spaceship parts. The smoke from the last collision of attacks was starting to clear and the battle ground became visible to them. Xuno was floating at the far right end of the ship, a sinister smile on his face and his dark blade shining with unbreakable hardiness. Ryoko was standing wearily in the middle of the ship, holding her sword shakily before her. She was sweating and gasping fervently and there were cuts and bruises on her face and arms. Her blueish-gray hair was singed and messy. 

"Ryoko-onechan! Stop! Don't fight anymore!" Sasami cried as she ran out from behind the spaceship parts and to Ryoko's side. Ryo-ohki meowed fearfully and hopped after her. Sasami tugged franticly at Ryoko's arm. "Please! I don't want you to get hurt anymore!" 

"Sasami..." Ryoko began, but she was cut off by a loud booming sound as Xuno shot off the five black beams of energy from his blade. Two of them slammed down right next to Ryoko and Sasami, shattering the tiled floor into numerous pieces that flew up into the dusty air. As Ryoko and Sasami looked up after the pieces had fallen, they saw the bursting power of the third beam heading right towards them. Without a second thought, Ryoko threw herself over Sasami and the beam slammed down hard onto her back. 

"Ryoko-onechan..." Sasami wailed as Ryoko tried to stifle a cry of pain. Ryo-ohki gave a soft whimper. Xuno looked down at them skeptically. 

"Hmmm...seems I don't have to worry about ohime-chan's well being," he said, "even if she's in the middle of a battle field. She's got protectors wherever she goes!" He threw back his head and his hearty cackles echoed throughout the beaten down ship. He swung his dark blade again and the five black beams shot out once more. Ryoko continued to cover Sasami as three of the beams struck her back viciously. 

"Ryoko-onechan! Stop!" Sasami cried despairingly, pulling herself out from under Ryoko. Ryo-ohki looked up at Ryoko and gave a distraught "Mrow." Ryoko tried to stand up, but her steaming, throbbing back seemed to push her down. 

"Listen...Sasami...if I don't bring you back safely...Ayeka would never let me hear the end of it..." she said painfully through clenched teeth. As she got to her feet, she tried to smile as Sasami blinked bewilderedly up at her. "...and I think that's a far more worse fate than anything this jerk has to offer!" She flew back up towards Xuno, her sword's bright aura seeming to fade with the loss of its owner's strength. Xuno once again raised his dark blade and griped both of its ends. But instead of holding it horizontally as he did when he shot the beams of energy, he now held it vertically. 

"You've still got some life left in you. That's quite remarkable," he said as Ryoko flew steadily towards him, watching his blade cautiously. "But all this sentiment is making me sick..." 

The black blade began to crackle, and the gray mist around it swirled. 

"...so I'm going to end this fight now!" 

A dozen bolts of black lightning suddenly emerged from the blade. As they shot forward, they crashed together and fused into one massive dark comet that streaked towards Ryoko. She tried to teleport away, but she had lost too much energy from the long battle to dodge quickly enough. The comet slammed into her and it continued to move forward until it crashed into the opposite wall. The incredible force from its streak and its crash rumbled the entire ship and innumerable chunks of the floor, walls, and ceiling broke off and hailed down throughout the ship. 

"Ryoko-onechan!" Sasami cried as she covered her face from the falling debris. After the comet had disintegrated, a storm of choking smoke blanketed the ship and a long, deep furrow became visible along the direction the comet had streaked. After the smoke started to clear, Sasami saw Ryoko laying at the end of the furrow. 

"Ryoko-onechan..." she moaned quietly and ran off along the furrow. Ryo-ohki meowed uncertainly and scooted after her. After what seemed like hours, they finally reached Ryoko. She was laying lifelessly on her side, covered in wounds and small pieces of the fallen debris. Sasami covered her mouth as she gasped. Then, she fell down to her knees and buried her face in Ryoko's shoulder as tears began to roll down her cheeks. 

"...I'm...sorry...Ryoko-onechan...you suffered all that...just for me..." 

Ryo-ohki gave a mournful "Merrroww" as she approached Ryoko and sadly nuzzled her face. Xuno teleported directly over them and slipped his dark blade back into its sheath. 

"Sorry about all this, ohime-chan, but it's over now," he said with phony sympathy. Then, he gave another wicked smile. 

"Doesn't it make you feel so special that so many would think nothing of sacrificing themselves to protect you?" he asked, his eyes gleaming. "Yup, they'd all rather get hurt than have you be hurt. Heh, even fight a futile battle if they think you'll be saved. You should feel just like a hime, huh?" His eyes narrowed angrily. "Such senseless compassion is utterly illogical!" he spat. 

The whole time Xuno was talking, Sasami didn't look up. It was like he was whipping her conscience with his voice, and she cringed lower and lower as he continued. Her falling tears were soaking Ryoko's shoulder, and the sobs pounding in her chest made her voice shake as she finally spoke. 

"It's not fair...why can't I fight like everyone else?" she asked herself. "Washu-onechan...Ayeka-onesama...Tenchi-nichan...Ryoko-onechan...they all got hurt trying to protect because I'm too weak to protect myself!" She was almost yelling at herself now as the tears continued to fall. Ryo-ohki tried to give her a comforting nudge, but she didn't seem to notice. "Every time...every time...I always just cower and watch as everyone sacrifices themselves for me...I never _do_ anything...because I'm too weak and scared _to_ do anything!" 

Xuno looked down at her, shaking his head. "Well, I can't stand to hear you wallow in self pity anymore, ohime-chan." He held out his hand and another orb of green light began to form in it. "Time to go back into your cozy little barrier." Sasami looked up, but still not facing Xuno. 

"...this is it...no more..." she said quietly as the final tear slipped down her cheek. A faint blueish aura began to surround her. 

"...no more depending on others to protect me..." 

The aura brightened a bit. 

"...from now on, Sasami's going to be able take care of herself..." 

The aura suddenly crackled with energy. Xuno tossed the orb at her. Sasami quickly stood up, turned around, and faced him. The orb floated towards her, but as it reached the aura, it ricocheted off and immediately disintegrated. 

"What?!" Xuno shouted in shock. Sasami stood as tall as she could. The powerful energy bursting around her dryed her wet cheeks. 

"No one else is going to get hurt..." she said sternly. "I'm going to do my share of the protecting!" 

The aura suddenly spread out into several rays of light that shot out all around Sasami. She shielded her eyes from the momentary brightness. Then, she gazed upward and gaped in shock. Floating just inches above her head was the mystical spirit of Tsunami. Her long, pure white robe billowed out under her like an elegant gown, and her thin, wispy blue hair followed enchantingly after her. 

"Tsunami-chan..." Sasami muttered in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Tsunami smiled down at her. 

"I suddenly felt emotions welling up within you, Sasami..." she replied. Her soft, gentle voice was comforting to Sasami. "...emotions like none I've ever felt from you before. Those strong feelings of yours summoned me here." She looked up and Xuno stared down at her in awe. Then, an evil smile crept along his face as he yanked out his dark blade. 

"I see...so she's got some Juraian spirit protecting her, huh? No matter. I'll shatter that shield of hers in an instant!" He zoomed down with the dark blade pointing in front of him. Sasami stepped forward bravely and the blueish energy shield around her grew wider. As Xuno crashed down with his blade, the shield repelled the attack and sent him hurtling away. He desperately regained his balance and stared in disbelief at the bright, flashing shield. 

"I-Impossible," he stammered, "h-how can she go from being completely defenseless to having one of the strongest protective shields I've ever faced?!" Enraged, he tore back down to Sasami's shield and swung his dark blade against it again and again. But no matter how hard he tried, his weapon could not penetrate it. 

"I will break through it! I will!" he screamed angrily as he kept striking over and over. "The most powerful being in the universe can't lose to a child!" Sasami turned to Tsunami. 

"Thank you for helping me, Tsunami-chan," she said. 

"I'm not doing anything, Sasami," Tsunami responded kindly. "This is _your_ shield, made with the power of _your_self. Because of your strong desire to be able to protect those that would protect you, the Juraian power inside you has been awakened. As long as you hold on to the emotions that you're feeling now, nothing can break this 'shield of your heart.' You are fighting for yourself now." 

Sasami stared up at the great blue shield that engulfed her and the dark blade that continued to clash uselessly against it. "My own shield from the feelings in my heart...I-I've never felt so...independent!" Her eyes shone happily for a second. Then, she looked seriously back at Tsunami. 

"I know I...don't deserve to ask you this Tsunami-chan, but...you've got amazing healing powers, right?" She blinked up hopefully as Tsunami floated down closer to her. "Could you use your powers to help Ryoko-onechan and Washu-onechan...and everyone else who got hurt because of me..." Tsunami smiled. 

"As long as you remain true to your heart, Sasami," she replied, "I'll do anything for you." She drifted down towards Ryoko. Ryo-ohki, who had been watching the whole spectacle, looked up curiously at Tsunami. She continued to watch expectantly as Tsunami gently cupped her hands around Ryoko's face, and floated down so that their foreheads where touching. Then, an incredible, bright, white light began to shine from the two magical marks on Tsunami's forehead. The hopeful, healing, sun-shaped light bore through the bleak ship and greatly illuminated every inch of it. Xuno stopped his futile onslaught and gazed down in wonder at Tsunami. After a few seconds, the light began to dim until it faded completely. As Tsunami floated back up, Ryoko slowly began to stir, and Ryo-ohki meowed joyfully. Then, Tsunami calmly closed her eyes as her being began to teleport away in a beautiful sprinkling of gold and blue light. 

* * *

The sun was begining to set in the eastern hemisphere of Earth. Back in Okayama, behind the unusually quiet Masaki house, it was tucking its rays within the thick, towering mountains. Tenchi stood with his hand on the glass door, staring up at the lazy orange sky that had a few scattered purplish cloud patches. Ayeka was sitting on a chair behind him, massaging her leg. 

"See anything, Tenchi-sama?" she asked. He shook his head. 

"If they're not back soon..." He hesitated as he turned around. "...I'll have to use Yukinojo to go after them." 

Mihoshi abruptly stood up from the chair beside Ayeka. "But Tenchi-san, you're hurt!" she protested. "Hopefully, HQ will get my message soon..." 

"I know, but it's been so long!" Tenchi exclaimed as he began to pace anxiously around the room. "What if Ryoko wasn't able to beat Xuno? What could he have done to her? And Sasami-chan...she must be terrified!" 

"You needn't worry," said a soft voice that seemed to resonate throughout the entire room. As Tenchi, Ayeka, and Mihoshi looked around the room, Tsunami materialized before them in sparkles of gold and blue light. 

"Tsunami-san!" Tenchi said, staring wide eyed at her. 

"Why are you here, Tsunami-sama?" Ayeka asked as she stood up and used the arm of the chair as support. "Is it because of Sasami? Is she all right?" 

"Sasami is much more than all right," Tsunami replied. Her voice became kinder as she gazed at the worried faces around her. "Everything will be fine...they'll return very soon." She started to float a little higher and her flowing white robes danced around her. "Sasami wishes that the injuries you recieved while protecting her be healed. So, I'm here on her behalf." 

Tsunami headed towards the couch and floated over Washu, cupped her hands around her face, touched foreheads with her, and the miraculous, bright light once again shone from the marks on her forehead. Washu shivered and moaned a bit as the light rained out all around her. After a few moments, it faded away and Tsunami moved over to Ayeka. Ayeka looked at her uncertainly as they touched foreheads and the healing light appeared. As it shone, Ayeka could feel the pain in her leg steadily decrease until it was completely gone. After the light had faded, she stood up and was able to walk perfectly. 

"My leg is healed! I don't believe it!" she said cheerfully as she walked proudly around the room. Tsunami drifted towards Tenchi and he looked up at her in awe. She touched foreheads with him and the bright light poured out between them. Tenchi felt the lingering hurting in his arm recede until it vanished. Ayeka had been watching them impatiently, a slight jealously gleaming in her eyes. 

"Tenchi-sama, is your arm okay now?" she asked. Tenchi raised his arm and waved it around. 

"Yeah, it feels great," he said with relief. 

"Good. That's enough of this, then," Ayeka said irritably, and immediately yanked him away from Tsunami's touch. Tsunami giggled lightly as she began to ascend. Tenchi looked up gratefully at her. 

"Thank you, Tsunami-san," he said. 

"I didn't do too much," she replied as she slowly began to fade away into the sprinkles of gold and blue light. "Thank Sasami when she returns. I'm sure she'll be back very soon." And with that said, she disappeared into the glimmering sparkles. 

* * *

Meanwhile, the turmoil raging inside Akumu was at a standstill. Xuno was hovering above Sasami's radiant blue shield, sweating and wheezing. The pitch black color of his blade was degrading into a dull gray and the energy around it popped out exhaustingly. He raised it above his head and glared down at the shield with utter contempt. Sasami met his gaze without fear. 

"I can't lose now," he shouted madly as he lunged at the shield, "not after I've waited eight-hundred years for this! I just won't allow failure!" However, before he could strike, a blast of blazing photon energy came hurling out from behind Sasami and struck him hard, nearly knocking the dark blade out of his grip. As he flinched from the attack, Sasami and Ryo-ohki looked behind them. Ryoko was floating several feet above them, the palms of her hands sparking from the energy she had just launched. 

"Ryoko-onechan! You're all right! I'm so glad!" Sasami cried happily. Ryo-ohki meowed loud and enthusiastically. Ryoko grinned down at them. 

"Not gonna get rid of me that easily!" 

Xuno stared at her in total disbelief, the inevitability of his defeat reluctantly filtering into his mind. For once, the turn of events left him speechless. 

"Looks like this is as far as you go," Ryoko said, grasping her photon sword and pointing it at him. "Your power is so depleted now that you couldn't even block that little attack I just used. I'm about to hit you with all I've got, and there's nothing you can do about it! Can't say you don't deserve it, though." 

Sasami looked determinedly at the baffled Xuno. 

"You see," she said, "no matter how much power you have, it doesn't mean anything if you only use it for yourself. True power isn't used to cause pain in order to get what you want. You'll never know you're real strength, Xuno, because you don't care about anyone." 

Ryoko held out her sword and charged full speed towards Xuno, who floated, perplexed, before her. His dark blade hung loosely in his hand. Before he knew what happened, she had driven her sword through his stomach and fountains of thick, slimy, black blood came oozing out. 

"...how...could this...have happened...how..." he groaned as his body evaporated into dimming swirls of black energy. The dark blade fell from his hand and disintegrated before it hit the ground. Sasami watched the remains of Xuno fade away, and sighed with relief. With the danger passed, the shield around her flickered a bit until it, too, faded. Ryoko flew back to the ground and Sasami ran to her, with Ryo-ohki hopping along. 

"Ryoko-onechan! You did it! You did it!" she exclaimed as she jumped up and thew her arms around Ryoko's neck. Ryo-ohki leaped onto Ryoko's shoulder and nuzzled her affectionately, meowing with joy. 

"Hey, don't give me all the credit," Ryoko said as she held Sasami up so that they were face to face. "You've got some pretty keen powers yourself, you know. Ayeka's got nothing on that shield of yours!" 

Sasami giggled and blushed slightly. 

"Anyway," Ryoko continued, "we wouldn't have been able to beat him without your help, Sasami. You and the 'ol goddess up there, of course." She pointed towards the upper right corner of the ship. Sasami looked and saw Tsunami calmly floating there. She gazed down at them, smiled serenely, and began to disappear. Ryoko, Sasami, and Ryo-ohki watched her until she had completely vanished. Then, the ship suddenly began to shake. 

"What's going on?" Sasami asked, as she fearfully clung to Ryoko. 

"Without Xuno's power, there's nothing left to hold this place together!" Ryoko replied as she turned to Ryo-ohki. "It's time to get going now." 

Ryo-ohki gave an affirming "Merow!" and leaped out through the now broken window behind them. Once out in space, she transformed back into a spaceship and Ryoko carried Sasami into the central control unit as the last renmants of Akumu crumbled. Once safely inside Ryo-ohki, Ryoko and Sasami watched the chunks of Xuno's spaceship break off and drift aimlessly away. 

"Well, we've been gone from home far too long, don't you think?" Ryoko said as she put Sasami down next to her. "Ayeka's probably foaming at the mouth by now. Guess we'd better hurry on back. Everyone's waiting for your carrot cake, Sasami!" She winked and Sasami smiled up at her. 

"Okay! I'll get right to it!" she cheered as Ryo-ohki zoomed away from the battered remains of Akumu and back towards the always welcoming Earth. 

* * *

It was early evening in Okayama and the stars twinkled faintly in the hazy, gray sky. Suddenly, the grounds around the Masaki house vibrated and a hundred ripples formed in the lake as the booming thrust of a spaceship filled the air. 

"Look, it's Ryo-ohki! They're back!" Tenchi exclaimed as he pulled open the glass doors and ran out onto the porch, keeping his eyes on the spaceship as it came closer and closer. It stopped once it hovered about five feet from the ground. Ryoko flew out carrying Sasami and Ryo-ohki transfigured back into a cabbit, landing daintily on Ryoko's shoulder. Ryoko landed and put Sasami down. Immediately, Sasami ran to Tenchi and hugged him firmly around the waist. 

"Tenchi-nichan!" she cried happily. 

"I'm glad you're back, Sasami-chan." he replied, patting her on the head. Ayeka came sprinting out from the house after him, her leg no longer wrapped in bandages. 

"Sasami! Sasami!" she repeated almost hysterically as tears hung tentatively in the corners of her eyes. 

"One-sama!" Sasami shouted with joy as she let go of Tenchi and ran to Ayeka. Ayeka bent down and Sasami hugged her around the neck. 

"Oh, Sasami...I was so worried..." she sobbed quietly. 

"I'm fine now, one-sama. Don't worry." Sasami said reassuringly. Then, she heard a whimpering and looked up. 

Mihoshi was walking towards her, tears pouring down like waterfalls from her deep-blue eyes. "Oh...Sasami-chan! You're...back! I'm so...glad!" she sobbed. 

"Don't cry, Mihoshi-onechan. I'm all right," Sasami said as she hugged the bawling Mihoshi(and got a little drenched in doing so). 

"Welcome home, Sasami-chan." 

Sasami looked behind Mihoshi and saw Washu standing there, smiling confidently at her. 

"Washu-onechan!" Sasami exclaimed as she leaped forward and grabbed Washu in a tight embrace than almost knocked her off balance. "I'm so glad you're all right!" 

"Of course, Sasami-chan," she replied cooly. "Can't keep a genius like me down for long." Sasami giggled. 

Meanwhile, Ryoko watched as everyone was gathering around the ecstatic Sasami, and sighed. 

"Look at that, Ryo-ohki," she said sarcastically to the content little cabbit on her shoulder. "Everyone's so relieved that Sasami's back safely. But what about Ryoko-sama, the one who actually did the rescuing? No one seems to care about _my_ well being." She turned her head away with indifference. However, she quickly looked back when she heard Tenchi's voice in front of her. 

"Ryoko, you're not hurt are you? We're all very grateful that you brought Sasami back." He stood before her, smiling sincerely. Ryoko blushed. 

"Oh, Tenchi! I was so scared!" she cooed as she playfully swung her arm around his neck and pulled his head close to hers. "But I knew that this was my chance to show you how great I am! Not that you didn't already know, of course! How about a little victory kiss?" She pulled his head up so that their mouths were level, ignoring his frantic protests. But before their lips could meet, Ayeka came up behind Tenchi and heaved him away from Ryoko's grip, startling Ryo-ohki, who quickly jumped down from Ryoko's shoulder. 

"What do you think you're doing, Ryoko-san?! Don't force Tenchi-sama to kiss you!" she snapped. 

"What do you mean?" Ryoko retorted. "The kiss is my prize for bringing Sasami back! Tenchi said so himself!" 

"Uh, that's not exactly what I said..." Tenchi muttered nervously, sweatdropping. 

"Oh, no! They're at it again," Mihoshi said. 

Washu sighed. "Like two children fighting over their favorite toy..." 

"All right, Ryoko-san," Ayeka said, the irritation in her voice slowly fading away. "I must admit that I'm very grateful to you for risking your life to bring Sasami back safely." She backed away and gave a small bow. 

"Jeez, why do all princesses have to be so embarrassingly formal?" Ryoko asked nonchalantly. Before Ayeka could get mad at that comment, Sasami spoke up. 

"Why don't we all go back inside and I'll start on my carrot cake," she said. 

"Yay! Finally! I'm starved!" Ryoko cheered as she flew back into the house through the glass doors. 

"Yeah, me too!" Mihoshi exclaimed, following after Ryoko. 

"Sasami, are you sure you're not too tired? Maybe we should have the cake tomorrow?" Ayeka suggested. 

"I'm fine, don't worry," Sasami replied cheerfully as Ryo-ohki leaped onto her head and gave a happy "Merow." "Everyone went through so much today just for me so I want to give them all a treat!" 

"We all appreciate it, Sasami-chan," Tenchi said kindly as he and Ayeka headed back into the house. 

"Sasami-chan," Washu called jovially as she followed after them, "we're all very pround of you, and I'm sure Tsunami is too. See? It's not so bad being assimilated with an ancient Juraian spirit, huh?" 

"You're right!" Sasami replied. 

When she and Ryo-ohki were alone on the porch, she walked along the tiny dock that hung over the lake and gazed down into the still, azure water. As soon as she did, Tsunami's radiant reflection appeared, smiling contently. Sasami smiled back. 

"We all thank you, Tsunami-chan," she said. Then, she looked at Ryo-ohki. "Well, Ryo-chan, let's get that carrot cake going!" Ryo-ohki meowed approvingly. And with that, the two headed back into the once again, brimming with liveliness Masaki house, as a dark blue blanket of sky rose up over the distant purple mountains. 

_

Epilogue

_

(A fleet of about two hundred Galaxy Police battle ships are hovering anxiously amidst the ruins of Akumu. The Cheif of the Galaxy Police scans the ruins ferverishly through a window inside the largest ship. Suddenly, the ship's computer beep interrupts him). 

Computer: Incoming report from First Class Detective Mihoshi. 

Chief: (rushing breathlessly over to the message screen) Display immediately! 

(Mihoshi appears on the screen) 

Chief: (shouting hysterically) Mihoshi! Our entire fleet has managed to find the remains of Xuno's spaceship, but where is he?! We're ready to attack and apprehend him at all costs, but we can't find him anywhere! Where is he?! 

Mihoshi: (fidgeting nervously) Um...about that, Chief...umm...Xuno's kind of...ummm... 

Chief: (shouting louder) What are you trying to say, Mihoshi?! 

Mihoshi: (with a nervous laugh) Xuno's...kind of...um...dead...so, uh, I guess we don't need the fleet after all, hehe... 

Chief: (stares dumbfounded at the screen) Are you trying to tell me that I had to pratically slit my wrists in order to get the Marshall to lend me control of the entire, two-hundred ship fleet, sign an agreement with the king of Jurai so that the fleet was allowed to battle in his jurisdiction, get all of the ships and detectives together, gather all of the weapons, armor, and ammunition that we could afford, all because we thought we were facing one of the most powerful criminals in the universe....AND HE'S ALREADY DEAD?! 

Mihoshi: (backs away sweatdropping and still laughing nervously) Umm...yeah...well, I guess it was all for nothing, huh? Hehe...well, I better be going now...umm...say "hi" to the fleet for me...uh, well bye! (logs off of the message screen) 

Chief: (yelling franticly at the blank screen) Wait, Mihoshi!!! Come back here!!!!! I'm not going to be the one to pay for this!!!! Mihoshi!!!! Mihoshi!!!! MIHOSHI!!!!!!!!!!!   
  
****

The End


End file.
